When it comes to data collection, the insurance industry is following Progressive's lead

It seems like everyone wants a piece of the “telematics” world pioneered by Mayfield Village-based Progressive Corp.The Wall Street Journaltakes a look at how data collection — of the sort offered by devices such as Progressive's Snapshot — has the capability to transform the $167 billion auto insurance business. (Crain's finance reporter Michelle Park gave Snapshot a try last year; here's what she found.)Small telematics devices like Snapshot compile and analyze data on driver behavior. The programs are voluntary, The Journal notes, and better drivers qualify for discounts. “In general, insurers say those who fall short aren't charged higher rates, but instead pay no more than what they already are paying, based on conventional pricing methods,” the newspaper says.Traveling on ground already trod by Progressive and, to a lesser extent, Allstate, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. is rolling out a telematics-based "Drive Safe & Save" program, which it plans to promote across most of the United States later this year, according to The Journal.The story notes that Progressive “began experimenting with the technology more than a decade ago and has tried to maintain its edge with patent-infringement lawsuits in federal court, including one against State Farm.” (Those are stayed as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reviews the patents.)"For now, they are presumed valid," Dave Pratt, a Progressive general manager, tells The Journal. State Farm declined to comment on the litigation.The story notes that Allstate resolved legal disputes with Progressive in 2011 with agreements that included licensing patents to each other, and it expects its "Drivewise" program to be available in most states by the end of this year.“Progressive, meanwhile, in recent months has discussed licensing use of its patents with about two dozen other insurers, it told investors in May,” according to the story.

The Journal says more than 1.4 million drivers have signed up for Progressive's "Snapshot" program since 2008, and the insurer said discounts of up to 30% have topped $125 million. State Farm's discounts run as high as 50%.

This and that

Family-friendly environment: Cleveland law firm Thompson Hine once again has earned kudos from Working Mother magazine.For the third straight year, the firm earned a spot on the publication's list of “Best Law Firms for Women.”Working Mother describes the firms on the list as those that are “leading the way in attracting, retaining and promoting women lawyers.” (The methodology is here.The magazine says 31% of Thompson Hine's lawyers are women. The firm has an 18% rate of female equity partners and a 28% rate of female nonequity partners.“Mentoring circles, professional development programs and a business-leader luncheon series help female associates advance here (this year, 25% of all new equity partners are women),” Working Mother says. “New moms get 14 paid weeks off, plus special career guidance.”In the driver's seat: Mark Kvamme, former president and chief investment officer of JobsOhio, has made his first two investments through Columbus-based Drive Capital, a venture capital investment firm that says it targets “promising companies in the Midwest.”Drive Capital announced it made investments in Roadtrippers, a web-based company from Cincinnati that helps travelers plan road trips, and CrossChx of Columbus, which provides patient identification and security technologies for health care facilities.Terms of the investments were not disclosed.

Mr. Kvamme is a co-founder of Drive Capital, along with Chris Olsen.The transplant from California says that since moving to Ohio to help Gov. John Kasich launch JobsOhio, “I have had the opportunity to meet several companies and entrepreneurs that would rival those in any other place in the world, and these two companies and these entrepreneurs are among the very best. We can't wait to see what they become."Global view: Two Cleveland analysts provide market context in this Wall Street Journal story that looks at how Samsung's global success in selling smart phones “is helping it win credibility in a more humdrum market: refrigerators, washers and other home appliances.”“The South Korean company over the past few years has rapidly gained market share in the backyard of U.S.-based Whirlpool Corp., the world's largest maker of appliances,” The Journal notes. As Samsung's Galaxy line of smart phones has advanced, its share of the U.S. market for major home appliances in dollar terms “has surged to 10.5% in this year's second quarter from just 2.3% five years earlier,” according to the story.Samsung and another Korean brand, LG, "have substantially raised the bar" on quality, says David MacGregor, an analyst at Longbow Research in Cleveland. Fads in smart phones have forced the Koreans to innovate quickly, he tells The Journal, and that skill also helps in home appliances.The Journal says Samsung executives “have set a goal of surpassing Whirlpool in two years to become the world's No. 1 appliance maker, but that looks like a stretch.”One analyst forecasts Samsung's appliance sales will reach $14.1 billion in 2015, still likely leaving it well below Whirlpool. Michael Deneen, an analyst at Freedonia Group in Cleveland, estimates that LG was the world's fifth largest appliance maker in 2012 and Samsung No. 8.You also can follow me on Twitter for more news about business and Northeast Ohio.

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